These are not too sweet at all – more like a bowl of oatmeal than a cookie. In my book, that’s ideal for breakfast and snacking. If you』d like them sweeter, add an extra tablespoon or two of brown sugar, and/or use milk chocolate chips instead of the semisweet. Also, if your peanut butter is very smooth or at room temperature, you probably won』t need the electric mixer – just stir everything together. Since my peanut butter was cold and stiff, it was helpful to have the mixer to incorporate into the other ingredients. These keep well in the fridge for 5 days.
Ingredients
2 cup oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup neutral oil
1 egg
1 1/2 cup milk or almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chunks or chips
3/4 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease two 4 1/2 by 8 1/2-inch loaf pans.
Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Beat together the peanut butter, sugar, and oil with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then, whisk in the milk by hand – carefully, so you don』t splatter. Stir in the vanilla.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and fold to combine. Stir in chocolate and 1/2 cup nuts and pour the batter into the two prepared pans. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining pecans.
Bake the bars for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden. Using an offset spatula, loosen the bars from the pan and turn onto a rack to cool completely. When cool, cut each pan into 8 bars. If you want smaller servings, cut each bar in half. Store in the fridge.
Harpy Workout
Jacks, Lunges, Burpees and Kicks? It can only be the Harpy workout designed to give you a full load in as short a time as possible. It delivers a punch no matter what level you decide to do it at and there are gains to be made each time you do it, regardless. By working muscles that have already worked but forcing them to work differently the Harpy workout will work your lower body to the stage where you will feel the burn.
Instructions: Repeat each move with no rest in between until the set is done, rest up to 2 minutes and repeat the whole set again 3, 5 or 7 times depending on your fitness level.
What it works: Quads, calves, glutes, lower back, obliques, deltoids, abs, hamstrings, front hip flexors, triceps, chest, cardiovascular system, aerobic performance (VO2 Max).
Make it better: Hold your Squat Hold Punches at a perfect 90 degree angle for your legs and feel the burn as your quads begin to scream, a little.
Make it harder: This is a lower-body intensive workout, using large muscle groups that make heavy oxygen demands. Cut down the rest time to just 90 seconds and feel your lings join in the burn.
Perfect for: Increasing strength and endurance of your lower body plus testing your aerobic performance.